Miami Heat lost a very close game against the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans in their last two NBA fixtures, so the Heats need to pull their socks up against the Phoenix Suns as they play tonight.
But, things do not look too rosy for the Suns as well, as they also lost their game against San Antonio Spurs in an embarrassing manner with the score reading, 101 to 74.
With the NBA regular season moving into the business end of the competition, both teams need to improve upon their game to participate in the Playoffs.
Miami Heat presently lie on the seventh position of the Eastern Conference with 25 wins and 33 losses, while the Suns lie on the tenth position with 31 wins and 29 losses. The Suns do not enjoy a good record in their last 10 fixtures as well, for they have only won three games while the Heats have won only four.
The Heats have been playing some good basketball, but have been unlucky to lose their matches with just a few points.
In their game against Hawks, Dwyane Wade was in great form, scoring 22 points while he needs to come up with a great game against the Suns as well to turn victorious.
''We're fighters,'' Wade said after their defeat, ''We still don't all know each other, but we're out there fighting for this thing." Wade averages 20.7 points per game this season.
But, alongside Wade, other players such as Luol Deng and Goran Dragic also need to perform, for they have been doing well this season. Deng averages 14.6 points this season, while Dragic has been another consistent performer for Heats with 16 points per game.
As for the Suns, Eric Bledsoe has been a major player with 17.2 points per game, while Gerald Green and Brandon Knight have also been consistent. It is time for these players to step their game to another level, if they are to stand a chance of playing in the Playoffs.
When the Suns face Heats later tonight, they would be eager to show that they are a much better side than the one they lost against Spurs, 101 to 74. It was one of those nights for the Suns, where they could not click as a team.
But, if the Suns start rolling, they can definitely move up the standings table and pose a serious challenge for the Playoff spot.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled to start at 7:30pm ET (6am IST and 12:30am GMT) with live TV coverage on National TV in the US.
However, there is no live TV coverage in India.
Viewers around the world can stream it live on NBA.com.
